Help! I can’t decide on the cover for my new cookbook, Love Real Food. The book’s designer, Rae Ann, came up with three awesome options. I love them all, and I can’t decide which one should make the cut.

I proposed to my publisher that we let you guys pick the winner and they said yes! You all have been so supportive throughout the cookbook-making progress (thank you) and I’m thrilled that you get to pick the cover.

The book is officially available for pre-orders on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I’m working on some final edits for the book now, and it’s so fun to see it all come together. I can’t wait for you all the see the book on May 16th!

Click through to see all three and vote for your favorite. It’ll take ten seconds, tops.

My grandmother Virginia makes the best cookies. When my cousins and I were growing up, she always kept homemade cookies stashed in old cookie tins in the freezer (I bet she has some in her freezer now, too). She’d open up a canister and unfold the waxed paper lining, and we’d start grabbing for one after another. I like her cookies straight from the freezer; they have a more satisfying chew that way. I like them at room temp and fresh from the oven, too.

The cookies that stand out most in my memory are her oatmeal, dried cranberry and macadamia nut cookies. Or does she use white chocolate chips, not macadamia nuts? Grandma will tell me. She’s eighty-four, operates a brand new iPhone, and receives my new blog posts by email. She reads your comments, too. :)

She’d tell you that I wanted to do things my way when I was little. Guess I’m still doing it, because I came up with my own oatmeal cookie recipe instead of asking for hers (I’ll get it later, for sure). I wanted oatmeal cookies with a soft, fluffy interior and crisper edges with more concentrated flavor. I wanted these cookies to be even more redeeming than most, but mostly to be the tastiest of oatmeal cookies.

Instead of adding dried cranberries and macadamia nuts (or white chocolate chips), I kept these simple with some cinnamon and nutmeg, which permeate the whole cookie with delicious warming spices. More specifically, I used Frontier Co-op’s Ceylon cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract, which are all organic. Frontier Co-op has generously filled my spice drawer with their products and the more I use them, the more I appreciate them. Take a whiff and you’ll know what I mean; they’re more potent and offer superior flavor than other brands. Plus, you can read where the spices came from on the bottle. I’m glad to be working with them again this winter.

Christmas isn’t here yet, and I’m already worn out. Who feels the same? You can show your hands. I won’t tell. Beneath all the sparkles, parties and sales this season are a lot of tired eyes. I’m weary with you, weary ones.

Over the past two weeks, I’ve transferred a kitchen that could easily feed a family. I’ve packed and unpacked enough photography equipment and props to shoot an entire cookbook. I’ve driven five hours home and back for Thanksgiving (worth it alone for my grandmother’s reaction to an electric pepper grinder), and I’ve scrubbed three years’ worth of dust from my old rent house. I’ve placed my first grown-up furniture orders and nearly had heart attacks at checkout.

I’m so tired, you guys, but there is no time for rest yet. I’m working on another round of cookbook edits through next week. I have fun parties to attend. My thirty-first birthday is looming just 24 days away, and I’m as single as ever. And yet, my cookbook is turning out beautifully, and this new space is so nice. I have more counter space for my creations and I’m finally trading in my hand-me-down box spring for a proper bed with a headboard. A headboard!

I’m blessed with a season of abundance. Friends and family to celebrate the holidays with, the sweetest four-legged companion, and readers who let me do what I love for a living. I’m so thankful for all of you. I haven’t been as present in this space as I like to be lately, but your presence and comments are as appreciated as ever.

Here’s what I’m trying to say: the holidays are hard and wonderful. It’s a condensed and conflicting time. A time to celebrate new loves, and a time to mourn those who aren’t here. I’m right there with you.

Coming through! I’m coming in just under the wire to bring you my annual holiday gift guide, so you can take advantage of those crazy “Cyber Monday” sales (can we give today a new name already?). This is the one time of the year that I share my favorite non-cooking related things, although plenty of those snuck in, too. These are all items that I personally own and recommend. As you may have noticed in my recipes, I’m very particular, so it takes a lot to make the cut.

This year’s guide is bigger than ever, and a lot of my favorites are on sale this holiday season. Before we dive into candles, coats and cookbooks, though, I have a couple of unconventional ideas. If you’d rather ask your mom to donate to charity instead of buying you a sweater you won’t wear, Small Token is a new app that makes it super easy to donate. It’s like the PayPal/Venmo of charitable donations, and 100 percent of the amount donated goes directly to the charity. How cool is that?

Also, if your friends are always telling you, “You should really start a blog,” I have a new guide for that! (And here’s my more specific food blog guide.) Or, if you’re always telling a loved one to start a blog, maybe you could get them going? That’s how a lot of great blogs get started!

For even more ideas, check out my kitchen essentials, as well as last year’s holiday gift guide. Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I’ll get a small commission if you purchase through my links (at no cost to you, of course). Thank you for supporting Cookie and Kate.

I’m obsessed with this scent. It’s warm and inviting and doesn’t irritate my allergies like floral scents can. I get a good whiff of it every time I walk by my bathroom now, thanks to this diffuser. Bonus? It comes in the prettiest box I have ever seen.

My favorite scent again, in candle form. This brand of coconut wax candles burns way longer than most. This little one goes for 20 hours, and the bigger candle burns for 100, which is longer than most other candles at the same price point/size.

Happy holidays! I’m tremendously thankful for you all. Thank you for being patient with me on this rice recipe that I promised you last week. I made this rice about six times as I was packing up all of my stuff. Want to guess how many jars of coconut oil I’ve found after unpacking in a larger kitchen with ample cabinet space?

Seven. Seven jars of coconut oil. Seems excessive to me, does it seem excessive to you? I’m stocked for a while.

I’m excited to finally share this healthier Mexican rice recipe with you. To tell you the truth, I rarely get excited about Mexican rice when I’m eating out. It tends to be a little mushy and a little bland. Since they make it with white rice, eating that rice is a sure-fire way for me to feel cranky-hungry a few hours later. I often just ask for more beans instead.

So, a Mexican rice recipe wasn’t on my radar to make until Mallika emailed to request it a few months ago. Here it is, Mallika! Mine calls for long-grain brown rice, which is first rinsed to remove starches that can make rice clumpy, and then lightly toasted in oil for extra flavor and separation.

It’s about time you met the vegetarian option at my family’s Thanksgiving—and it’s Mexican! When I stopped eating meat several years ago, my mom was totally flummoxed on how to feed me. Granted, I was already a full-grown adult at this point, but she’s my mom and she likes to make sure I’m well fed.

Mom has a small repertoire of go-to recipes, and while we were growing up, Mexican “lasagna” was one of them. I always refused to eat it because I didn’t like ground beef (picky little Kate strikes again).

When I came across this recipe for a stacked enchilada casserole full of roasted vegetables and spinach, I sent it her way. It was a hit with the whole family, and so it joined her repertoire of recipes. She makes it (or just the roasted vegetables) for Christmas and birthdays, too.

Of course, I couldn’t help but tinker with the original recipe. I simplified the veggies a bit and divided them across two pans for maximum caramelization. Then I added some black beans for protein, and discovered that Monterey Jack produces an infinitely better end result than cheddar does.

I wasn’t really sure what to call this one—Mexican casserole? Enchilada casserole? Stacked enchiladas? I’m leaning toward enchilada casserole at the moment, even though this recipe calls for salsa instead of enchilada sauce. I tried it with both, but it’s easier to make and turns out better with salsa.

I hope this one’s a hit at your house! As always, I love to hear how my recipes turn out in your comments.